Our words matter. While we all know words have power, how often do you speak without thinking first? 

Are you ever at a loss for words? Maybe you're the type of person who just says what you think and regrets it later. Either way, it's not good. We want to be able to speak to our students powerfully and with intention. While that comes naturally to some, it's a lot harder than it seems for most of us. 

Today's episode is all about how we use words in the classroom.

Words have the power to inspire, encourage or defeat. They can cause us to take action or quit. The same is true for our students. Words have consequences - sometimes good, sometimes neutral and sometimes bad. We need to be intentional with our words.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Here's a peek at what else is inside this episode:

• Why we have to be careful with our words.
• How to hear yourself and your students. 
• Why you should plan and practice your words for common situations.
• How one teacher...

It's LIVE! the Teach Joyfully Podcast is finally up and running. Here's the highlights from the first episode.

This episode is all about classroom management and how to deal with students who interrupt. This is an age old problem. And although we're teaching online and can ignore the problem by muting students' microphones, eventually we'll be back in the classroom and the problem won't have gone away. So, now's the time to prepare.

You can listen to this podcast episode here.  The highlights are below.

Let me tell you a little story.

Recently, I was working in a small private school, the teacher in this room had asked for my help in managing students who were constantly interrupting - interrupting other students, interrupting during independent work time interrupting the teacher when she was trying to teach in small group time. You get the idea. I'm sure you've been there. So, I came in and observed for a bit as the class went about their normal routines.

Now when I do...

Classroom teachers have battled behavior issues as long as there have been schools. Whether you're like most of us and currently teaching online or preparing for next year in the classroom, teaching students your expectations is important. That doesn't change no matter where you teach.

Do you ever use picture books to help you teach?

I do. All the time! In fact, I don't think I know how to teach many things without picture books. It's just become part of my teaching style. Part of that is because I find lesson more fun and engaging with a picture book and so do students. The other benefit is picture books make learning more memorable. 

Teaching About Classroom Behavior

Teaching about desired classroom behavior is no different than other subjects in this regard. Picture books can play a vital role in helping students both understand and remember all the behaviors that make our classrooms run smoothly. In fact, they help build our classroom community, identity and culture. 

Behavior management or managing a class for the long-haul is much more difficult than anyone ever tells us in our teacher training.

Remember when you were getting ready to begin your student teaching and being informed what you're in for when you have no experience to tie that information into? You simply can't fathom what that means or what it looks like in reality. We need a lot of experience in order to make sense great classroom management. In addition, there's a lot of trial and error that goes with figuring it all out.

The more teaching experience we get under our belts, the easier it is to understand and evaluate the various behavior management options.

Here's a few ways that we can manage a class and each method's pros and cons. In addition, I have a few acton steps at the end of this post to get you on a great path to train your students toward self-regulation. 

Here goes...

Proximity

Management by proximity is when you move to stand near a student when they're...

As we head into the holiday madness and the home stretch for 2019, everyone's in anticipation mode. This can be fun or agonizing depending on what's going on in your classroom and school.

I've always been torn this time of year.

On the one hand, there's holiday programs to prepare for and all kinds of assemblies and other events that are fun and exciting. On the other hand, losing precious instructional time is always difficult for us teachers. I want both but something has to give. As I always say...a YES to one thing is a NO to something else. We have finite time in our day. We simply can't do it all. 

So here's how you can deal with it all in a way that melds the two extremes. 

Put everything on the calendar that you have no control over - Christmas play, a sing along, school assembly, etc. Make up your mind to be happy for all the moments that make your school a community. 

Then, ask yourself this question:

What are the essentials I need to teach in...

There are lots of classroom management mistakes we can make. But, here's one thing that many teachers do and never think to do differently. They don't have a CLEAR vision for how they want their classroom to run each day.

Yes, you have rules and consequences. Having a list of systems and procedures to train students is common these days, and you probably have that as well. But, do you have a clear vision in your head of HOW you want your classroom to run all day long? 

Here's what I mean by a clear vision.

Do you know what each part of your day looks like, sounds like and feels like? Whether it's whole group instruction, small group instruction, individual work time or some combination going on all at once, you should KNOW exactly what you're aiming for. What is the ideal right down to noise level, how each group of students is conducting themselves and what you, the teacher, are doing. 

What I'm ask you is...Do you know how each process and system will work when thrown...

Here's my top 5 traits of teachers with great classroom management. 

1. Student Engagement

This one is obvious and well-touted in education. Student engagement has become the "silver bullet" for many teachers in classroom management with room transformations, classroom stages and a lot of hoopla. (Can you tell how I feel about it?) That's a lot of pressure on a teacher. To be honest, it's possible and more realistic (think sustainable) to simply love your students and be passionate about what you're teaching. From there, find simple, interesting ways to convey your message. Sure, do an occasional room transformation if that's fun for you, but don't feel like you're failing if you don't. (You're not.) Students need to learn how to be engaged in learning without all the drama in order to become lifelong learners because that's the way real life is. 

2. Clear Expectations

I can't say enough about this. One of the biggest problems I encounter in poorly managed classrooms...

I've had my classroom management failures just as much as the next teacher. What I've done with all that info is what has set me up for success over the years. 

When you've been knocked on your rear for the umpteenth time (been there) and head home defeated (been there, too) , remember, you CAN do this. If I can do it, YOU can do it! You really can fix your classroom management and have a well-run classroom. 

By taking all of my successes and, even more importantly, all of my FAILURES and reflecting, making changes and refining, I've gotten to the point where I can step into any classroom and be successful. It didn't just happen. All the hard work I put in simply paid off over time. 

Classroom Management is a tricky thing.

There isn't a "silver bullet" that will solve all your problems (I've looked). A well-run classroom takes time, reflection and training of both you, the teacher, and your students. It takes having and understanding all the keys to success...

So much of our classroom management skills start in our own heads. Dealing with our own MINDSET and beliefs about who we are and what we're capable of is the first step in both changing your classroom management and making those changes STICK.

You KNOW what I mean.

You find a new system that works for a colleague and decide to try it out. It works great for awhile, but then, it starts to unravel. The system starts to drain a lot of your time and energy just to keep it going. It's hard to figure out why it works for them and not for you.

Before you know it, you're questioning yourself and your abilities. But... YOU are not the problem. It's just a mindset shift that needs to happen. So quit beating yourself up and struggling to make a failing system work.

Mindset Matters

Instead, let's talk about how your mindset it SABOTAGING your classroom management. What lies (about you, your students or even classroom management) are you telling yourself without even really knowing it?

Here's my...

True story.

My very first year teaching, was a year of surprises, lots of learning and improvising. I had 34 kids in a 3/4 split that quickly turned into a straight 4th grade. The school was in a very poor, rough area of Los Angeles. I was in a mobile all alone at the furthest end of the school with no classroom phone (this was before cell phones). The teachers at the school were reserved and not exactly welcoming to a young teacher at first. I realized later, the teachers had stacked the class I was given as were regretting that just a bit. Oops.

About 2 weeks into school, I had assigned some reading to the class and they were to get busy while I started working with a small group of struggling readers. Within the first minute of that assignment I had a student pick up his desk, throw it and shout, "I'm NOT going to do this!" To say I wasn't prepared for this would be an understatement.  I stood in shock for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only seconds. Truly, I...